My brother once, well underage and long before he could even get a learner’s permit, (14 or so), in one of the worst blizzards of the year, stole my father’s car and made a run for my sister’s place. My father, who was driving a big rig delivering furniture at the time, reported later that he spotted what looked like our car, did a double take, and watched it sail by. Sure enough, my brother was driving. My father’s reaction was rather typical of his phlegmatic approach. He told us later why he neither gave chase, (had a delivery to make), nor called the cops, (no squealer): He said he figured if the kid had gotten that far in such a terrible snow-and-ice storm, he was doing pretty good and would make it where ever he felt it important enough to go.
He did make it, and did all this in order to avoid having to give a presentation that morning in junior high school.
Fear of public speaking is far stronger than some of us, whom it doesn’t bother, can imagine.
